Losing Control
by Moki Hunter
Summary: It's no secret that Jack holds a particular place on North's naughty list. But no one - not even the man on the moon - could have foreseen what he would become... And by the time the guardians realize the cause, it might just be too late.
1. Challenge

_Yes, yes. I know I shouldn't be starting a new story when I already have two others I'm working on. But "Only Half" is a slow update, considering that I don't really know what the details of the plot will be just yet. So until then I kinda have to wing it. And "Redemption", being a collaboration fanfic, is difficult to get up fast since my two co-writers and I aren't always on at the same time..._

_So this idea struck me, and I wanted to try my luck at writing with Rise of the Guardians. I haven't worked out all of the details yet, but I feel more comfortable winging this story than my other ones. Please let me know if any of the characters are OOC. Your reviews would mean the world to me. _

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**RotG: Losing Control**

The wind whipped delightfully against a frosted and chilled figure - one who, despite the cold front coming in, wore no shoes and little protection from the temperatures. Jack Frost tiptoed gracefully along the power lines beneath his feet, unsure of what to do for the moment. The guardians weren't doing much of anything lately. As a matter of fact, ever since the incident with Pitch a year or two ago, things had become virtually normal.

North had gone back to running his workshop, busying himself that way. Tooth had started rebuilding her palace immediately. Though it had taken months for her to return it to its former luster, it looked even more brilliant than it had the first time Jack saw it.

Bunnymund didn't do much else besides prepare for Easter, or at least as far as Jack knew - or cared to know. And as for Sandy? He was up there in the skies every night, like always, bringing good dreams to kids.

Jack himself, though now ascertained as an official guardian, didn't do much except bring on the cold. He visited Jamie every so often, making sure - jokingly sometimes but seriously others - that the boy didn't forget him or the others. Jack found he had become more protective of Jamie over time, almost as if he needed someone to care for. Like his little sister so long ago...

As it was, Jack inevitably found himself back in the town where he knew the boy to live. Thankfully he hadn't moved someplace warm, like Florida. So he could still promise snow days. He loved seeing Jamie's excited expression when he mentioned it was time for a blizzard. A light one, of course, but a blizzard nonetheless - sure to keep the kids out of school. Granted, they had to help shovel it now that they were a bit older, but that wasn't anything Jack couldn't assist with. Given the condition that they do it "his way" (which mainly consisted of picking up giant piles of snow and transforming them into snowballs fit for an elephant).

He hadn't visited his friend in months, though... He wasn't sure why. He just felt the timing wasn't right. Then again, it had just become winter once more, so that could have been part of it. Just as the winter spirit was beginning to wonder what made up the other reasons, he noticed a familiar array of light in the sky. A gorgeous rainbow of color, bursting from North's palace and visible all the way from here - if only to the guardians.

Jack flew towards it immediately, calling upon the wind and smirking as it picked him up as if he were a feather. Despite the danger that could possibly be coming - the lights meant one thing or another was going to become an encroaching problem - Jack was happy for an excuse to meet up with the guardians again. Well, save for Bunnymund, but even the kangaroo had his moments.

The gusts of cold air tampered with the long white strands of Jack's hair, and they would have stung his face skin because of its velocity - had he been susceptible to it. If there was one thing he could handle, it would always be low temperatures. But as his body clung to the currents of the sky, the sun on the horizon finally and wholly disappearing, something began to feel different.

It wasn't long before he bumped into the Sandman, who hadn't yet started conjuring dreams and was looking slightly disappointed that he would have to leave the children without them for however long they were needed at North's shop. "Hey, Sandy!" greeted Jack, chucking as he caught up with the small golden man. Sandy forgot his mood for the moment and smiled back at the winter spirit, furrowing his eyebrows in determination as Jack showed signs of wanting to challenge him for a race.

The two sped through the winds, and only a few miles from the workshop, Jack was separated from the Sandman. Sandy didn't notice it until minutes after it had happened, and scratching his forehead in confusion, the guardian of dreams backtracked in an attempt to find his friend.

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Sandy hadn't noticed. Jack had been pelted out of the sky by something unseen and silent, forcing him into a crash landing with the snow underneath him. Thank god for snow... Jack shook his head, groaning quietly to himself as he tried his best to stand. Thankfully, that didn't hurt much. But what the heck could have been so strong that it pulled him down out of the wind's clutches?

His question was answered when a crinkling laugh pierced the air. Jack froze - no pun intended - on the spot, unable to comprehend what exactly was going on. "No... That's impossible. Y-you can't be..."

"Alive?" answered a silky voice, full of malice beneath its facade. "Quite the contrary, Jack."

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_Tbc... Mwahaha. Yes, I'm evil with cliffhangers. GET USED TO IT! xD_

_Reviews are greatly appreciated, thanks for reading!_


	2. Fear

_A/N: Finally getting around to updating all my stories! :3 Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to run and hide before someone shoots me for taking so long. *flees*_

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"Perhaps you and your guardians may have forgotten, but I was only ever beaten for the moment," the figure continued. As he stepped out into the moonlight, Jack's horrible suspicions were confirmed. There stood Pitch, glowering in the darkness with an expression of pure and unrivaled smugness.

Shaking his head profusely, Jack finally managed to get over his initial shock. The bit of fear which still remained in his heart, he tried his best to bury. "We never expected you to come back. It's true we can't really be killed, but we didn't think even you would try striking out a third time."

Pitch laughed heartily, clearly amused by the winter spirit's attempts at standing strong. "Oh, Jack… you have so much to learn." A pause ensued as the darker figure looked up at the moon; surely the man on the moon was watching, though they both knew there was no chance for intervention – or at least directly. Sandy hadn't seen Jack go down. He wasn't sure whether he had even noticed before getting to North's place. Though surely they'd know something was up if anything happened, right? Jack could only hope…

Before the young guardian could continue his train of thought, Pitch's voice came creeping into the air once more. It was a calculating voice, lush with the sound of unknown triumph, as if the Boogeyman knew full well a secret which he never intended to share. Something that could turn the tide in his favor, and something that made him truly believe that he had never lost in the first place.

"You may be right in terms of our ability to avoid death, but do you know why that is?"

Jack's eyebrows furrowed, knowing the answer but refusing to say it. He looked away from the darker figure, not meeting his eyes.

"You do, don't you?" continued Pitch mercilessly, though not harshly. He delved further into his own monologue, as if his voice were a crawling mist. A subtle wind which carried with it a sense of cold and irrational worry. An oncoming storm. "We cannot be killed… because we have already died. We are but ghosts if not for the children's beliefs. And though I am invisible once more, there still remains that ever-present question." The smirk on his face was anything but invisible now, and Jack still refused to meet Pitch's eyes, unsure of why he wasn't fighting back but not liking where this conversation was going even without his input.

"I'm sure you remember clearly the disappearance of the Sandman. Would I be correct?" When Jack looked back at those deadly golden eyes, his face contorted into one of anger and irritability. "That's the point, Pitch. You can't ever win. We'll always be there to stop you, no matter what 'genius' plans you may think you have. Fear never conquers. How can I be the one who has so much to learn, when you can't even take so much as a hint?"

Though that last comment caused a pinch of a break in Pitch's composure, soon enough he had his annoyed emotions under control. He forced a smile instead, and he faked it very well. "Oh, but I can Jack… Because I've got a secret to tell you. Would you like to know what it is?" When Jack didn't verbally answer, Pitch finally whispered in the dead silence, "The word is not to kill; the word is to snuff out."

Jack's eyes widened harshly, as his whole body immediately and in spite of himself snapped towards the Boogeyman's smug figure. "Wha- What did you just say?" he nearly gasped out.

Pitch seemed calm, yet that smirk never left his face. It was annoying Jack to no end. "Perhaps I cannot kill you or your guardians, for we are all technically dead besides. But just as we can become invisible like the spirit of a ghost, so can we be snuffed out and expelled from existence, like the spirit of a ghost." Continuing even though Pitch so enjoyed the look of pure and unbridled shock on Jack's face, he finished spitefully, "We're all just ghosts, Jack. And a ghost can be removed from this realm." A pause, and then, "The only difference between a ghost and a guardian, is that a guardian is harder to make extinct. But I shall see to it that this contrast is liberated."

Jack's shock still held in place, though he managed to turn most of it towards his frustrations towards Pitch. "I said it once and I'll say it again. You _can't_ win, Pitch. The kids don't fear you anymore. You're more of a 'ghost' than any of us, and that means you're weak. How can you possibly hope to even put up a fight if you have no real plans?"

"Oh, but I do Jack," replied Pitch, practically unmoved by the winter spirit's comments. He seemed way too calm for Jack's liking, and soon that suspicion became apparent in importance, as the embodiment of fear itself finished off his end of the conversation. "You see… my plan, well… My plan is you, Jack."

Jack barely had time to make a quick expression of confusion before an overwhelming and searing pain crept into his system. It was as if his entire body was burning, and though the young guardian could handle cold temperatures, fire was never something he had been fond of. Because it was the exact opposite of his nature.

He fell to his knees on the cold snow below, and though for a moment he craved the icy chill of it, the feeling subsided and his blood continued to burn. Pitch was just in front of him, laughing victoriously as he held both his hands out and extended. The air itself seemed to leak dark substances, as a black mist circled around Pitch's palms and found its way towards Jack's figure. The mist seeped through his skin, tainting his blood and marring his bones. His icy blue eyes started to lighten, making them appear colder than they really were. The light escaped them, too, as instead of the happiness he usually held, a sense of darkness overcame Jack's features. His jacket's colors seemed to leak as well, the ice that covered it all too often contrasting greatly with the blackness that engulfed the fabric. Even Jack's staff creaked, as if it was protesting against the darkness that threatened to destroy it if it did not comply.

And then there was Jack himself, who was nearly yelling in agony. He couldn't do anything but. All he could do was lay on the snow as his entire being changed. And a horrifying amount of time passed before his breaths became less frequent, and his screams eventually died. Pitch kneeled down beside him, grinning all the while, as the last of the black mist finally disappeared into Jack's system. "You see, you can never truly escape the darkness. Everyone holds fear close to their hearts, and though they keep it hidden from the eyes of others, it's still there. And that's where I draw my strength from. And that's why I shall always, inevitably, win. All it takes to awaken the darkness, Jack, is a little bit of influence…"

He cackled darkly, the confidence in the sound too pertinent not to catch. Pitch finally looked at the moon once more, as if daring it to try and defeat him. "I asked you a while ago whether your guardians were ready, and it seemed – at the moment – they were. But what shall you do now? I'm in control; Jack' Frost's darkness shall consume him, and I'll use every last ounce of it to destroy everything you and your guardians hold precious. The world shall know fear. Or fear shall tear it apart."

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_Tbc... Sorry again that it took so long to update, guys ;n; I was (and still am) paranoid that I was getting the characters' personalities wrong. But any reviews or thoughts are welcome and appreciated. Thanks guys!_


	3. Darkness

_Author's Note: So, I think I may have found a way to update my own stories more frequently (still working on the collab stories getting up faster). Since I tend to get my muse most during school, I'm prolly going to have to write the majority of the chapters there. But that way I'll hopefully be able to update more often. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter guys! Let me know of your thoughts! Sorry if any of the characters are OOC. D:_

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The Sandman had only just gotten to North's factory before he was barraged by his own comrades. Tooth couldn't help but try to calm her nerves down by flying around the place in a constant motion, and though Bunny tried not to seem nervous, in all actuality he was hopping at the seams. North was troubled; he wore a similar look to the one he had displayed so distinctly when Pitch had first returned. But now the pain in those usually curious eyes seemed doubled. He was the first to ask, just as Tooth had planned to open her mouth and speak.

"Has anyone seen Jack?"

Bunnymund brushed off the Winter spirit's absence and scratched one of his ears to quell his oncoming irritation. "He's 'prolly just having too much fun. Or causing trouble. Or both." The rabbit frowned in distaste. Though he and Jack had gotten along much more smoothly as of late, there were still a few ole' blizzards he needed payback for. So he pretended - as usual - that he could care less when it came to Frost's antics.

Tooth frowned, though hers was one of worry and concern rather than annoyance. "I don't know... he's usually never this late..."

North. "I'm afraid I have to side with Toothiana on this one. Jack may have a tendency for mischief, but he knows when to handle responsibilities."

"I wouldn't be so certain, mate," replied Bunny, and though he meant to add something right afterwards, he was stopped by the sight of Sandy. The Easter spirit tilted his head in befuddlement before hopping towards him. "What's up, Sandy?"

The Sandman had been trying to gather their attention ever since he had gotten here. He was glad that someone had finally noticed him - being a mute tended to have both its advantages and disadvantages - but he feared the delay may mean wasted time to save Jack. Whatever had happened to him, it couldn't be good. It wasn't like him to disappear in the face of an emergency. Not without telling anyone. And Sandy had searched all over for him, but he was no where to be found. He tried to convey this in symbols, but Bunny wasn't able to understand them due to the rapid shift of their shapes. "Hold on, hold on. Slow down, mate. We can't understand ya' one bit."

North and Tooth now directed their full attentions to the little golden man as well, intent on discovering his message. The sandman breathed deeply - silently - and tried again. First, he showed a unique symbol that looked remarkably similar to Jack's shepherd's crook - the staff that held all his power within its core. The trio understood that much. "What about Jack, Sandy? What happened?" asked Tooth, afraid of what might be the answer.

Sandy wasn't sure how to tell them. But it turned out he didn't have to.

Just then, a rumbling noise resounded throughout the outer walls of North's home. The usually jolly fellow felt his eyebrows furrowing in dismay at the sound. Bunny immediately prepared himself for a fight, not entirely sure what was coming but removing his boomerang from its sheath regardless. Tooth wasn't sure exactly what to do, but she set her face firm and made sure to be ready for the worst. Baby Tooth was flittering beside her, appearing just as keen.

The rumbling became a tremor, and soon enough the tremor felt like an earthquake. The entire building seemed to be unhinging itself, and though that was not necessarily the case, the feeling was terrifying all the same. North was tempted to shout and ask who was there, but he dared not give whatever oppressor they were facing that advantage.

Sandy held an expression of devastation as the weight of his suspicions suddenly all pressed down at once. His look of dread went unnoticed until North turned back to speak to them. The Christmas spirit cut his own words off before he had even truly begun a sentence. He could see the look in Sandy's eyes, and he was sure that whatever the Sandman was thinking could not be a good thing. He dared not ask, as the tremor took its course and grew in strength. Shards of glass reined down from the windows and began to disintegrate. Sandy looked defeated, and they hadn't even begun the fight. North knew now, as his eyes locked with the silent man's own.

"Pitch..." North murmured with anger. Bunny rounded on the larger man. "Wait, woah. What did you just say?"

North grimaced, replying, "It is what Sandy has been trying to tell us. I don't think he knew exactly until now, but..." The Russian accented words died as he turned to face the glass, which unmistakably morphed into sand. It's transformation ended when the color became a dark, bleak black. And then they were all aware. Their fight with Pitch from the very beginning had been far from over. But Bunny wasn't willing to quit just yet. "Oh c'mon, guys. We beat the knucklehead before. He's weaker now than he was. Who's to say we won't put him down again?"

"Me," replied a shockingly familiar voice. All four pairs of guardian eyes suddenly turned to face the source, and the separate reactions that surfaced had one thing in common: fear.

Tooth and Baby Tooth had looks of devastation in their eyes, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing but were forced to anyways - like a child whose dreams were crushed too soon. Bunny's features betrayed his facade. He was shocked. And he refused to believe in the sight. And he was angry. He felt betrayed. The mixed emotions began churning within him. North's face fell severely. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he didn't like it. His eyebrows knotted in conviction, as he realized what must happen in the future. And Sandy... Sandy saw that future. And he was wrecked by it. Because it was his fault for not paying attention.

Who could stand before them other than Jack Frost? His eyes seemed paler; the icy blue that held so much mischief replaced with an even icier hue that regarded his former friends as simply blocks in the road. Means to an end. Nothings who needed to be dealt with. His jacket, always covered with sheets of ice and frost, seemed colder now. Bleaker. Blacker. As if his heart had shut itself off, releasing its freedom to the remorseless tendencies of a black hole. "Nice to see you all," he remarked with a malicious smirk. "Though I'm afraid our reunion won't last long."

It was obvious that something was wrong. Bunnymund had thought at first that the good for nothing Frost had turned against them. But he immediately took in the teenager's appearance and felt himself deflating. How could he ever think like that? What kind of friend did that make him? Regardless, though, something was wrong. Why were Jack's eyes paler? How come his staff seem even more crooked?

As near to an answer they would get appeared next to the Winter spirit. As Pitch came out of the shadows, his grin seemed to glitter so egotistically that it made the guardians - Bunny and Sandy in particular - want to knock the guy's teeth out.

"Pitch, what have you done?" North seethed in a dangerously calm tone. Pitch couldn't help but allow himself a chuckle in response. "What should have been done long ago." He looked towards the pane which held edges of shattered glass - where the window used to be.

"It isn't as though I've changed anything. Simply... enhanced him." Pitch put a creeping hand over Jack's shoulder, to which the Winter spirit did not even react towards. The guardians' hearts - Tooth and Sandy especially - plummeted.

"Enhanced? What the hell do you mean, enhanced?" Bunny countered angrily.

Sandy stepped up to Pitch in a violent protest. He may have not been there to stop this from happening - whatever had really happened in the first place - but he was here to make it stop. Pitch was going to make things right and go back into the shadows whether he liked it or not. And the Sandman would make sure of it. Even if it killed him... again.

Fumes escaped the Sandy's ears in the form of sand as he reached Pitch, who did seem a bit concerned but only so slightly that you would have to really study his features to notice it. Sandy did, even if the others could not see. He shook his head as a warning, but Pitch simply laughed in a torrent, responding chillingly, "Do your worst, little man."

That did it. Tooth immediately flew forwards to help, as North and Bunny came to fight also. The Sandman was grateful, but he couldn't thank them just now. He turned towards Pitch and prepared his whips made of sand, which materialized within his palms. Pitch just stood there, a bit behind Jack and grinned. It was enough to make Bunnymund go first. He leaped in the air and released his boomerang. Tooth and North came full force behind Bunny, Pitch was ready for them.

With a nod of the head from Pitch, Jack's expression became rock solid. His glimmering white hair which once was so bright seemed only to chill a looker on to the bone. He raised his staff and moved forwards, sending a sheet of ice barreling towards Bunny and the rest.

It hit the Easter spirit like a train, throwing him backwards and crashing into a shelf against the opposite wall. Tooth and North were taken care of in the same instance, landing just under Bunny. North groaned as the pain hit him. Tooth yelped upon initial impact, and Bunny rubbed his head for a few moments before shakily standing again.

Jack smirked now in satisfaction, turning his attention to the Sandman. He didn't speak; he didn't have to. Pitch spoke instead, saying, "You see... Jack is no longer a guardian. He's mine now. And his darkness shall consume him." As if to prove the shadowy figure's point, Jack leaped towards Sandy, gritting his teeth in order to stand firm. He grinned uncharacteristically. Whereas usually he smiled in a mischievous or excited way, this time it held a whole new meaning; he was excited to knock down his former comrades. And he wasn't even sure why.

Jack's soul was in conflict. He was desperately fighting on the inside between the blackness that now engulfed him and the white light that he had always held. Though he'd always been a bit of a troublemaker, somehow it never occurred to him that he could ever be evil. But, indeed, everyone held an evil about them, and of all five guardians, finding the evil within Jack and Sandy was by far the most dangerous. Pitch knew Sandy was far too wise and far too strong to ever be compelled by him. But Jack? 300 years old and yet still he was in the form of a teenager, with the mind of a teenager. Forever. And he had held a want to get back at the Man on the Moon for so long of that time that he was perfect for the picking.

"If his darkness doesn't consume him," added Pitch. "It shall surely - inevitably - destroy him."

And with a final, cackling laughter, the darkness in Jack Frost won another struggle, and the Winter spirit lunged towards the Sandman he once called a friend. North, Tooth, and Bunny could only watch. And though Sandy meant to fight back, to bring Jack back from the brink, somehow it felt as if it was already too late.


End file.
